New Ulm weekly review., 1887-11-30
the GOOD OIL, TINES.

4ha Albany ournal
Farmer Blewitt was a little, dried
up, rascible man, and ne used to wear
arad comforter around his neck and
red flannel ear-lappers on his plug hat
when he went TO meeting in the winter.
Ha was always ready TO argue that
elsese modern times we're awfully bad,
and that, the good old times Of hun
dM years ago were just right. He
w0nld decly invention and improve
rnesrt, and say that the world would
:bebetter without them. He took
newspaper on purpose to count the
murders recorded in it, and tell how
aad the world had grown. He would
seand for hours on q corner in the vii
1age and retail his deductions on the
present and his regrets for the past.
One day he had whipped the minis
Ter in argument. and, as he had had
his dinner and the minister had gone
away mad and the women were at
work in the kitchen, he tipped back in.
luis. Chair, drew red silk handkerchief
over his head to keep the flies off and
went to sleep. He had not slept over
Ave minutes before his son John came
in and said:
Come. father, we must get at that
piece OF wheat and cut it.
B1eWitt got up and yawned and fol
lowed his son out to the barnyard,
where his two sons sat on alog filing
q couple OF sickles.
stWhat in the nation are you doing
with those old sickles7" said Blewitt.
One Of the boys looked astonished
and said: "Doing; why, we are get
ting ready to cut the wheat.
Blewitt stared moment and then
said: ''Why in thunder don't you
hEch onto that reaper and stop
fooiin' with them sickles?"
The boys looked at each other in
aurprise but said nothing. Blewitt
sa.ls to the shed but there was no
reaper there. He came back. The
boys had got over the fence and were
on their knees reaping the wheat and
carrying it in gavels. b
Boys" said Blewitt, .'what do you
.zaean by this foolishness; where is
that reapen2"
Charley, the second boy, looked at
his7fatfer pityingly, and then tapped
ais forehead and looked sad.
why, darn it," said Blewitt, ''you
can never run them bundles througha
ttrashin' machine"
ss*Thrashin' machine" said Charley;
'tWhy, you know as we'll asI do that
shall have to fail this wheat out
mornings and nights, while going to
school this winter. What ails you,
father?'' .s
Blewitt, as we said, got mad easily,
aad now he just hoped up and down.
and said: .,. sf
teFlail it out; it must be thrashed
ready to ship on the cars next
month . .3. ..5
dUars, cars. said John, 81 don't
ikn0N what ails you, father, or what
Yo1mean. / know I shall have to
tean, this wheat down to Albany and
6M it for what it will bring. Hereyo
come out talkin' about reapers and
iSS&h16 Auu tuEcSHlu llldCIllil6S, StQO OStEll@
ed Il I don't believe you are crazy; so
,aow.' 81 @ls s
Blewitt pinched himself to see if he
was awake and strobe angrily to the
house. As he approa oached il he heard
q arun1bling and roaring like wind, and
fa Hooked into the kitchen and there
was his wife spinning. Who-o-o went
the big wheel, and BleWitt sank into a
chair and yelled: II
8B53 IN ow, Maria, what under the cano-
py are you doin' r. .
Doin 2" said his wife, why, spin
min. OF course. must get out 40
yards OF full cloth for you and the.
boys, and 20 yards Of pressed flannel
for me and the gals. e
Blewitt looked down at his legs and
saw them encased in full cloth of
coarse texture, and the seat Of his
,trpuse1s he felt reached clear up to.
his shoulder blades. and the legs were;
aa5wide as two bushel sacks.
well. II II be darned, was all he said.
Dreamily he sauntered out again to
the wheat field and John hailed hiln:'
Father, il you amt goin' to help
II